Fitness Trends I expect to see in 2025

In 2025, the fitness landscape is primed for transformation. We’re seeing rapid advancements in technology, alongside a growing focus on mental and physical wellness. The fitness industry itself is both leading and responding to a more nuanced, informed consumer base forcing more comprehensive fitness solutions.

Whether it’s the integration of A.I into personalised training programs, or the inclusion of holistic fitness in conventional workout regimes, I believe 2025 will be a year of significant change. Let’s dive into the trends and innovations that are set to shape the future of fitness.

As an online personal trainer working remotely with clients worldwide (even one in the Arctic Circle!), I had an excellent vantage point on the challenges and trends that shaped fitness in 2024. Combining this on-the-ground perspective with an eye on emerging technology, I’ve identified what I think will be the key shifts likely to define the fitness industry in 2025

Here are my predictions for the fitness trends we’re most likely to see over the next year:

Short-form & Micro Workouts will make exercise more efficient

In today’s fast-paced, go-getter society, time is a precious commodity. No one wants it wasted. While the romanticisation of this hustle mentality has been around since the ’80s, with Hollywood movies like Wall Street, it’s come with a catch because the emphasis on more work as the default cost of success has led to longer, more frequent workouts which have led to burnout and a start-stop relationship with exercising rather than sustainable fitness.

Owing to a deeper understanding of exercise science and the rise of data-driven training technology, the fitness landscape is shifting. Purpose-driven workouts are replacing duration-based routines, saving both time and energy while delivering the same, if not better results.

One exciting innovation is REHIT (Reduced-Exertion High-Intensity Interval Training). Research shows that ultra-short, high-intensity sessions can provide significant health benefits without unnecessary fatigue. A perfect example is the AI-powered CAR.O.L stationary bike, designed to deliver maximum impact in minimal time.

Looking ahead, I predict (and hope) we’ll see a surge in outcome-focused, express, and micro-workout options. These will empower people to achieve their goals without compromising their busy schedules or making people feel that they just don’t have the time to achieve their fitness goals.

Artificial intelligence will help build fitness plans, but won’t replace personal trainers

AI models have made impressive strides in creating effective workout plans. While they might not yet match the personalised level of detail a fitness coach provides, they can certainly generate exercise routines taking into account gym experience and fitness goals.

However, AI’s efficiency and insight still fall short when it comes to the critical human aspects of motivation and accountability. For instance, booking a 7 a.m. session with a personal trainer is more than just a step toward your fitness goals. It’s a commitment underpinned by human dynamics, like the subtle pull of social consequences. Cancelling that session doesn’t just impact your progress; it’s a breach of an unspoken contract with your trainer. You’re aware that no-showing wastes their time and effort, creating a layer of accountability that’s uniquely human.

Any experienced fitness coach is going to tell you that both motivation and accountability aren’t what you think they are. A coach can’t make you want something you don’t want for yourself, and accountability done right isn’t hand-holding and automated prompts, it’s holding you accountable to the change you’ve decided to make. A Coach helps you close the gap between who you are today and who you could become, so at least in my opinion it’s more of an art than a protocol, and art will be the last thing to be replicated.

AI, for all its brilliance, doesn’t yet evoke these relational dynamics. There’s no social discomfort or guilt tied to skipping a workout suggested by a chatbot. While we value AI’s efficiency, we don’t feel obligated to it in the way we do with a real person that we hold in high esteem.

For 2025 and the foreseeable future, I believe AI will continue to excel at designing innovative, effective workout plans, and even generating meal plans. But when it comes to accountability, the human connection that keeps us showing up, personal trainers remain irreplaceable. Whether they meet you in person or coach you through a digital platform like a mobile app, for now at least there is something uniquely human about the coach-client dynamic.

Increasing appetite for a connection with nature will take workouts outdoors

The advent of AI, wearable tech and fitness technology in recent years can offer a wealth of insight and data we just wouldn’t have access to without it. However, in my observation, this stirs up what I see as an instinctual desire to reconnect with nature as a counterbalance. So I expect to see outdoor activities like hiking and cycling continue to provide alternatives to gym workouts and help form part of a healthy lifestyle, especially for weekend exercisers. 

But I think it runs deeper than that, and expect to see people deliberately taking the time to engage with nature. Whether in the form of forest bathing, ‘fox walking’ or participating in conversation projects. 

I expect that a number of businesses will take centre stage to fulfil this desire, and will provide a welcome deviation from the busy, time-constrained world of traditional personal training services. Training options for those who are specifically looking to enjoy exercise in nature, off the clock precisely because they’ve made the time to do so are likely to include hiking groups and workouts, fitness retreats and low-impact walking groups, perhaps tracking for optimal fat-burning using heart rate monitors.

Fitness will increasingly be considered an investment

Historically, the fitness industry may uncomfortably have some of its early roots in less scrupulous products like restrictive weight loss diets, questionable muscle gain supplements and the kind of fitness equipment infomercials that invite us to believe that a fitness model with tree trunks for quad muscles built his physique solely by doing pushups on a bit of kit where the handles rotate a little bit.

Thankfully, for the most part, we’ve come a long way from those days, and whilst exercise is the vehicle through which we’ll change our weight and body composition, there is also an increasing focus on long-term health & well-being and wider health goals. Which could even include offsetting or completely avoiding chronic diseases.

Physical fitness and holistic wellness are now seen less as a means to an end to change our body shape but as investments intended to elongate the period of life we could consider our ‘health spans’, by which I mean the stage of life where we enjoy full freedom of movement and remain unencumbered by poor physical health.

The fitness industry itself is evolving to reflect this shift. We’re seeing the prominence of functional training programs and holistic health coaching, corporate wellness initiatives and personalised, sustainable evidence-based fitness practices.

But these services wouldn’t find a home if it weren’t for an increasingly informed consumer base fuelling the new trends. This is a considerable move toward a conception of health that respects the relationship between body & mind.

Continued prominence of digital fitness coaching

Digital fitness coaching and the online personal training industry are primed for continued growth through 2025. This will be driven by a combination of technological innovation, shifting consumer habits and the demand for convenience. 

Virtual fitness coaching offers unparalleled accessibility, and the opportunity to deliver truly personalised fitness experiences, cost-effectively. Online fitness coaching has been disruptive to the fitness industry since 2020 as the pandemic accelerated a behavioural shift toward digital fitness, I expect this momentum to continue, in fact, digital fitness & well-being is expected to grow to US$65.7bn in 2025, with a projected market volume of US$83.43bn by 2029. 

The future of online coaching is likely to incorporate both augmented and virtual reality to make virtual classes even more immersive and ‘gamified’

Further Reading: How to find the best online personal trainer in 2025

Wearable fitness tech will begin to predict injuries.

A physiotherapist can help you rehab an injury, and I’m sure alongside a good fitness coach could help you go a long way toward avoiding one, but how often are you under that kind of supervision, and furthermore how often do we seek to avoid an injury as vehemently as we try to recover from one? 

If you’ve ever used a Watt bike, you’ll be familiar with how it shows your left-right power balance, which helps you identify imbalances. Well-emerging health technologies and wearable activity trackers might be able to identify serious knee, hip, back and neck problems by correcting these imbalances before they become a problem.

Wearable tech in footwear could help us identify issues, potentially years before they manifest problems. Read ‘Even with your shoes on‘ by Helen Hall to get a better understanding of the wide-ranging effects your feet can have on your posture and injury risk in seemingly unrelated areas of the body.

Emerging devices, particularly in footwear, are already embedding sensors capable of monitoring not just performance metrics but subtle biomechanical markers. These devices could help analyse your movement patterns to flag warning signs of overuse, poor alignment, or imbalances.

Here is an example of how that might play out:

• Running Gait Analysis: Shoes equipped with motion sensors could track stride length, foot strike, and cadence, identifying inefficiencies that might lead to plantar fasciitis or shin splints, both can be chronic conditions incredibly hard to rehab, so avoidance would be a game-changer.
• Load Distribution: Insoles with pressure sensors can show how evenly weight is distributed across your feet, helping prevent conditions like Achilles tendonitis or stress fractures.
• Real-Time Data: Wearable devices could alert you mid-activity via fitness apps if you’re compensating due to fatigue or poor form, allowing you to make corrections on the spot to your intensity or workout planning, particularly useful in performance training.

The implications of this technology are profound. Wearable technology capable of predicting injuries could revolutionise not just your personal fitness routine but also physical therapy and sports performance. Picture a marathon runner receiving early warnings about a slight imbalance in stride that, if ignored, might lead to an injury weeks later. Or a weightlifter correcting their form before a tweak becomes a tear.

Additionally, this technology could democratise injury prevention. Many people lack regular access to physiotherapists or fitness professionals, but wearable tech could bridge that gap, providing accessible and affordable insights. Combined with advancements in AI, these devices may eventually offer personalised recommendations for physical activity, such as stretches, strength exercises, or rest periods to address potential issues that would be available to everyone.

Fitness Tourism will increasingly thrive

As we grow more health conscious as a society, some of our staple pastimes evolve and change shape to fit our new lifestyles, even our holidays. Ten years ago, for the most part, my personal training clients used to go on holiday to eat drink and be merry, now many of my online clientele take a short break from my workout routines to test their fitness on hiking trips or to practice active relaxation at a fitness retreat, It’s a significant shift in how we see our health and leisure time, with a holistic approach becoming more and more prominent among fitness enthusiasts.

Helping drive these trends are broader cultural and societal factors. As awareness of mental health and work-life balance has grown, people are seeking ways to decompress and unwind in a way that leaves them physically and emotionally rejuvenated. Activity-based holidays fill this gap by offering a sense of accomplishment alongside the natural unwinding of being away from your day-to-day schedule.

You’d be surprised how many people over the years I’ve seen come back from holidays absolutely exhausted because of their choice of activity while away, there’s no judgment in any of that, but today for many of my busiest personal training clients, a holiday isn’t just a way to blow off some steam, it’s about coming back feeling better than they left and feeling like they have taken a forward step in their overall health.

This trend is suggestive of a broader cultural shift, as consciousness becomes more ingrained in our daily lives, it naturally extends to how we like to spend our leisure and I’m seeing this play out for everyone from Gen Z to older adults.

2025 represents A fitness dichotomy: A. I & wearable tech vs a return to nature & first principled fitness coaching

As we reflect on the previous year and embrace 2025, the fitness industry is undergoing considerable transformation and behaviour change. From shorter workouts tailored to busy lifestyles to AI innovations, outdoor fitness, AI making its way into fitness facilities and even health-focused vacations, these trends reflect a broader cultural shift, fitness is no longer just about aesthetics or performance. Perhaps for the first time, It’s becoming a cornerstone of how we live, work, and play, offering tools to enhance not just the type of training we employ to shape our bodies but to enhance our overall quality of life.

To me though, the most interesting thing I’m seeing as a fitness coach is that the greater the rate of technological advances, the greater we’ll feel they are having an impact on our lives. Through the fitness lens, this could certainly be very positive and could go a long way to make our exercise efforts more efficient. But the other side of the coin is that the is something very human about wanting to disconnect and find some time to get out in nature, off the clock and away from the demand of rigid outcomes. Yes, it’s a dichotomy, but I don’t think it’s a choice that has to be made, I think there can be a healthy balance of the two. I suppose a way to look at it, is that if technology can free up a lot more time by way of efficiency and reduced injury risk, that’s time we can then spend going out and being active in nature.